Cheryl Evans

This was the first dedicated book on mythology that I read as a little kid. Like with the Scary Stories series, the art stayed with me a long time. As I read Gaiman's Norse Mythology, I kept remembering reading this book as a kid, comparing the little differences in tone and story beats. The book manages to stay pretty true to the myths while not being super explicit with the, er, less savory bits.

This is an outstanding book. The myths are retold in a way that makes them easy for children to understand, but the myths aren't mutilated beyond recognition. Good illustrations, too.

Summary
This is detailed book full of vivid illustrations and ancient Greek story tales that depict Gods and Goddesses during ancient times. Every couple of pages are labeled with a certain category such as "Love" or "War," and then numerous stories related to that subject are tied together. The very end of the book is full of a glossary with terms and names incorporated into the story to help the reader understand the history behind the myths and legends.

Personal Reaction
I am a huge fan of show more ancient Greek and Roman mythology. It excited me to see a book that children can pick up and understand because then it will hopefully spark the children's interest in mythology as well. I also love the idea of books with more advanced words and names having a glossary or an index in them. It really helps a reader of any age follow the history and story more accurately.

Extension Ideas
1) This book would be a great way to introduce an entire Greek mythology unit in the classroom. There are a lot of people that do not see a difference in the Greek and Roman legends, so I would have the class help me make a diagram to show the differences and similarities between the two so it could be posted in the classroom for the rest of the unit.
2) I would also assign different Gods and Goddesses to the boys and girls in the class, and then have them write a report that they would be able to later present to the entire class. show less

A very good description of the Greek gods and goddesses with short stories about them. Good illustrations